Tag: truck

In the past, you could go to a filling station and the attendant will not only fill your gas tank, but clean your windows and check your fluids. In today’s world, many people have no idea how you can read the car’s fluid levels. Many people nowadays do the normal fluid check when we bring the car in for an oil change.

If you want to keep your car or truck running well, you should find out what fluid levels need to be checked, and then periodically do it. Your car handbook will have everything you need to help you keep your fluid levels in check. The owners manual should have a diagram of the car engine with the location of all the fluids. In order to be sure, it’s also possible to do more research on the internet. If you need to check the engine’s oil level, there should be a cap near the front of the engine labeled “oil.” To check how much oil you have left, make sure the engine is off, then take out the dipstick and wipe the oil off the stick with a rag or towel. Put the dipstick completely back in then pull it out just as before to get your oil level reading. Ideally, you want the oil on the dipstick to be sitting between the maximum and minimum marks. If it is below, then you will want to add some oil.

If you have an older car, oil can tend to leak in certain areas so you may need to check every few weeks. You won’t have to do this for older vehicles. When your vehicle has an automatic transmission, then you need to check its level by finding it towards the back of the engine. Be sure to read the car manual to find the exact location and how to check it. You are going to need to have the car running while in the neutral or park position. The most accurate reading can be achieved by driving the car a little to get the transmission warmed up. You might not want to do it as frequently as oil but make sure that there are no leaks present.

When you need to check the car’s coolant level, do not do it after you just finished using your car. The coolant is usually very hot and you could get burned. Almost all cars have an overflow bottle where you can check the levels with the visible level markings. The power steering fluid will need to also be examined frequently. To find the power steering fluid, look at the manual. The brake fluid is the one other thing to take into account as well. You’ll want to be very careful with not ever spilling brake fluid but it may take off paint.

The simplest fluid to check could possibly be the windshield wiper fluid. It is usually easy to find and you just fill it with washer fluid as it requires it, if it overflows, it can’t hurt anything.